David Jason to star in Xmas special

Sir David Jason is reprising his role of Granville for a one-off Open All Hours Christmas Day special.

In the half-hour special, titled Still Open All Hours, his character now runs the grocery store which he inherited from his uncle Albert Arkwright, played by Ronnie Barker in the original series.

Sir David said: I’m really excited to be bringing back Open All Hours. I am sure there is an audience out there who would like to see what Granville has been getting up to in the corner shop. It will be a great family show for Christmas and a fitting tribute to the legacy of Arkwright.’

The original series ran for 26 episodes across four series between 1973 and 1985, making this the first new episode of the sitcom in almost 30 years – and the first since Barker died in 2005.

Lynda Baron and Maggie Ollerenshaw will also return as nurse Gladys Emmanuel and Mavis respectively, and the programme’s original writer, Roy Clarke, will pen the episode.

He said: ‘This has been fun – a great opportunity to work with David Jason again and to suggest how things at that corner shop might look today.’

The BBC’s controller of UK comedy production, Mark Freeland, said: ‘I am absolutely delighted to welcome back to BBC comedy the magic pairing of David Jason and Roy Clarke.

BBC One controller Charlotte Moore added: ‘BBC One’s Christmas schedule suddenly feels complete with the addition of this classic British comedy.’

Here's a clip from the original:

Published: 7 Oct 2013